Saudi Arabia has rejected a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, saying the body needed to reform first.
The gulf state was voted on to one of the 10 rotating seats but turned it down over the organisations failure to act appropriately in Syria.
"Work mechanisms and double-standards on the Security Council prevent it from carrying out its duties and assuming its responsibilities in keeping world peace," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Therefore Saudi Arabia... has no other option but to turn down Security Council membership until it is reformed and given the means to accomplish its duties and assume its responsibilities in preserving the world's peace and security."
It said the UN had allowed the Syrian government "to kill its own people with chemical weapons... without confronting it or imposing any deterrent sanctions".
The failure "to find a solution to the Palestinian cause for 65 years" had led to "numerous wars that have threatened world peace," the statement further said.